Convertible street-car.



B. HECHLER. CONVERTIBLE STREET CAR. APPLICATION FILED 60111.1914.

1,146,873. Patented July 20, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,wAsmNuTON. D. C.

B. HECHLER.

CONVERTIBLE STREET CAR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. 1914 1,146,873. Patented July 20, 1915.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 20.. wAsmNu'roN, D, c.

BENJAMIN HECHLER, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONVERTIBLE scanner-can.

raiders.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented July 2 1), 1315..

Application filed October 17, 1914. Serial No. 887,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, BENJAMIN Elnotunnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampton and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Convertible Street-Cars, of which the, following is a specification.

This invention relates to convertible street cars and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a street car body which may be easily and quickly transformed from an open car to a closed car and vice versa. with this object in view the car body includes upwardly disposed curved guides mounted upon the edges of the floor of the car and arranged opposite each other. The guides at the opposite sides of the car meet each other at the top of the car and panels are arranged to move in the said guides. The said panels include transparent sections with flexible sections connected to the lower edges thereof and when the panels are in their lowermost position in the guides the car body is in the form of a closed car and when the panels are it their uppermost positions in I the guides the car body is transformed into an open car. The panels are held in their lowermost positions in the guides by gravity and means are provided for supporting the panels in their uppermost positions in the guides.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car built in accord with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 8 is a detailed edge elevation of a portion of one of the guides. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts of the guides showing the same separated. Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective View of a portion of the flexible section of the panel.

The car body includes a floor 1 with upwardly disposed guides 2 located at the opposite side edges thereof. The said guides are ogee shape in edge elevation as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing and the guides 2 at the opposite sides of the car meet at their upper ends at the top of the car at points along the median long dimension of the car. A roof 3 is mounted upon the upper portions of the guides 2 and a cupola it is mounted upon the roof.

Inasmuch as the guides are all alike a description of one will answer. Each guide consists of an outer strip 5 which extends from the lioor of the car to the roof thereof and each strip is provided at its upper end with a brace portion (5 which extends along the sides of the cupola & and along a por tion of the top thereof as best shown in Fig. 2. A spacing member? is located against the inner side of the strip 5 below the brace portion 6 thereof and the upper end of the said strip '4 extends into the median longitudinal central line of the car body. A strip 8 is detachably secured to the inner side of the spacing member '7 and extends the full length thereof. The edge portions of the strip 55 extend beyond the sides of the spacing member 7 as do also the edge portions of the strip The upper ends of the spacing members 7 and the strips 8 at the opposite sides of the car body meet at the top of the car as best shown in Fig. 2. The upper portions of the spacing members 7 and the strips 5 and 8 are curved ipon the arcs of circles while the lower ends of said strips and spacing members are curved in an opposite direction but not nec' essarily on the arcs of circles as shown in Fig. 2. Spaced rods 9 connect the lower portions of the strips 5 at the same side of the car together and serve as barriers and braces at the sides of the car body.

Panels are slidably mounted in the guides 52 at the same side of the car body and the said panels include inflexible transparent sections 10 which are curved on the same are of curvature as the upper portions of the spacing member 7 and the strips 5 and 8. Flexible sections 11 are connected with the lower edges of the inflexible sections 10 and consist of slats 12 connected together by flexible straps 13 best shown in Fig. 5 and the edge portions of the sections 10 and 11 lie in the spaces between the strips 5 and 8 with their edges in close proximity to the sides of the spacing members 7. Catches 14 are mounted upon the strips 8 and are adapted to engage under the lower edges of the flexible sections 11 when the panels are in their uppermost positions in the guides and support the same as indicated at the right in Fig. 2. When the panels are in their uppermost positions and it is desired to lower the same the catches 1e are swung back and the panels are moved down along the guides and assume the positions as shown at the left in Fig. 2. Thus when the panels are in their lowermost position thecar body is inclosed and the occupants thereof are protected against the weather; As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing the upper ends of the spacing members 7 and the strips 8 are slightly depressed so that the panel at one side of the car cannot enter the guide at the opposite side of the car but the guide at one side of the car serves as a stop for the panel at the opposite side.

From the above description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing it will be seen that 'a car body of simple and durable structure is provided and at the same time the panels are free to be moved from closed to open position and the car may be readily transformed from an open car to a closed car and vice versa. At the same time the parts of the guides are so arranged asto efficiently brace the upper portion of the car and the superstructure mounted on the top thereof.

Having described the invention what is claimed is 1. A car body having guides located at the oppositesides thereof and meeting at their Copies of this patent may be obtained for upper ends at the median longitudinal dimension of the body, the upper portions of the guides being on arcs of circles and having their meeting ends located at a lower point than the upper portions of the arcs and panels movably mounted in the guides at the opposite sides of the car.

2. A car body having guides located at the opposite sides thereof, said guides comprising outer strips having angularly disposed upper brace portions, spacing members located against said strips, inner strips located against the inner edges of the spacing members, the edge portions of the strips projecting beyond the sides of the spacing members, said guides being ogee shaped in edge elevation and panels located in the guides and having arcuate upper inflexible sections and flexible lower sections connected with the said inflexible sections.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

BENJAMIN HECHLER. l/Vitnesses:

J. A. DONEGAN, M. E. LAUGHLIN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

